7.0.1 Or 7.1.1 Reel For Topwater...on 7 Or 7'3"?

[wordty]

I have an extra 7 foot medium Vendetta rod so I thought I'd make it a topwater rod...looking for a reel on the less pricey side for it (Orra SX, BPS Pro Qualifier, Speed Spool, etc)...what do you recommend?  Also, I also have 7'3 heavy rod with a 7.1.1 on it for jigs...would I be better of using the 7'3 for jigs or making it the topwater rod and using the 7' Vendetta the jig rod? I am not buying another rod, so no rod suggestions please.

[Cgrinder]

7' M sounds fine for topwater, if a bit long. I would personally not use a Medium for jigs.

 

I have a Pro Q in 7.1:1 and it works well. Lews is also a good choice, but they don't have the 7:1 in a LH. The new Orra might be worth waiting for if you really like Abu reels. 

[WRB]

Have you ever heard of Dee Thomas? Dee is the father of the flipping presentation and he didn't use a reel. Go online and look Dee up!

There isn't any logical reason to use a high speed reel to jig fish, jig fishing isn't a reaction presentation. Top water,no reason for a reel faster then 6.3 to 1.

Tom

[Kevin22]

There isn't any logical reason to use a high speed reel to jig fish, 

 

Ever set the hook on a fish 30+ yards from the boat with a football jig in 20+ FOW? high-speed is a must or you will loose fish after fish. 

[KDW96]

I personally think that either brand mentioned will work well for you. As WRB stated above, a 6;3.1 reel will pretty much take care of anything you want to throw. As far as loosing fish,a reel has nothing to do with that.If your jig setup is working for you,leave it be. Try your vendetta as topwater with 6;3.1. I believe youll be fine,but use quality line. Just my low post opinion,hope it works out well......................

[Grantman83]

It's all about finding what works for you...the medium action for top waters is fine however abu Rods tend to be under rated in power....I would use mono to help compensate...

as to reel sped, I like faster reels because when I hook a fish I wanna bring it in quick ESPECIALLY if they run at the boat...however there is nothing wrong with a 6.3:1...that used to be high speed years ago and people still caught fish

[WRB]

Ever set the hook on a fish 30+ yards from the boat with a football jig in 20+ FOW? high-speed is a must or you will loose fish after fish.

Yes, thousands of times and rarely loose bass, this is how I normally fish jigs...horizontally casting. If you learn to position your rod pointing the tip towards the jig instead of raised upward, there will be little slack line to recover. The reel set and rod sweep technique works good with standard speed reels. I don't own a high speed fresh water casting reel because there isn't a need.

Tom

[K_Mac]

The 7' med should work fine for a topwater rod. The issue with most topwater baits is they have treble hooks which require a slower action or softer tip to keep the fish buttoned. A heavy power rod is sometimes appropriate in heavy cover, but it needs to be of moderate (slow) action.

 

As far as speed is concerned, the trend is towards faster by all manufacturers. This is reinforced by most of the pros using the faster reels in many applications, including jigging and topwater fishing. Old guys like WRB and me remember when 5:1 was considered a very fast reel for bass fishing. My personal opinion (worth exactly what you are paying for it) is that both of these techniques can benefit from a high speed reel. Being able to move line quickly when jigging in deep water and/or heavy cover, or quickly working a topwater bait is of value to me. Ripping your bait back to the boat when you have covered the strike zone is another benefit. With that said if I had to have one reel it would be around 6.4:1, or more importantly and accurately around 26-28 IPT (Inches Per Turn of the reel handle).

[WRB]

When you catch your first 10# + LMB casting a jig with a 7:1 to 1+ reel, let me know. I have caught over 300 DD LMB casting jigs with 6:3 to 1 reels, and have no need for higher speed reels. Learn to fish a jig effectively...speed kills jig presentations and your mind set/concentration when properly fishing jigs.

If I thought a high speed reel would improve my fishing, I would own them.

Tom

[rockchalk06]

Ever set the hook on a fish 30+ yards from the boat with a football jig in 20+ FOW? high-speed is a must or you will loose fish after fish.

I agree and disagree here bud. I won't use anything slower than a 7 gear for jigs for this reason, but at the same time, I'm not that old, but I can remember when all you could fish with were 5 gear reels. Dad and I caught 1000's of LM and SM bass with them and I don't remember loosing very many fish. I'm no pro and was a little kid, but I d**n sure didn't loose "fish after fish"